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Three hundred primary school teachers will be sent for training after they failed a Grade 3 English first additional language test.

Basic Education’s Elijah Mahlangu says the department is aware English is challenging for some teachers and this should not come as a shock because English is not the home language of many teachers.

The Zenex Foundation found the English proficiency of the teachers tested in the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal is comparable to that of a Grade 3 learner.

Basic Education’s Elijah Mahlangu says the department is aware English is challenging for some teachers.

“It’s nothing new really, because similar research has been done.”

Mahlangu says the Zenex Foundation research has provided the Education department with valuable information.

“They’ve gone into greater detail to see exactly what it is in the English language that is giving the teacher
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The University of Pretoria is to phase out Afrikaans as the official medium of instruction at all its campuses and residences.

The university will from now only use English as the primary language of communication and administration.

University spokesperson Rikus Delport said the policy was adopted in 2016 by the university’s council and Senate after “extensive consultation process and recommendations from all interested parties”.

“The change in policy is aimed at facilitating social cohesion, and the university will continue to embrace and encourage multilingualism to foster unity and provide equal opportunities to speakers of all South African languages,” he said.

The consultation process included a language work stream that was formed as part of the transformation lekgotla and the independent transformation panel that focused on submissions from external stakeholders.

Delport said the decision from the various interest
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